About UCCONNECT

The Region 9 University Transportation Center

UCCONNECT was established in 2013 through funds awarded from the US Department of Transportation and Caltrans. Its mission is to serve as the new University Transportation Center for federal Region 9. As part of that mission, UCCONNECT supports faculty within its consortium of five UC campuses (Berkeley, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside and Santa Barbara) and its affiliate, Cal Poly, Pomona, to pursue research aligned with our center’s broad theme of promoting economic competitiveness by enhancing multi-modal transport for California and the region.

Goals

UCCONNECT is dedicated to the proposition that economic competitiveness comes by mobilizing society in general, and the workforce in particular; and by delivering goods and services in the most efficient ways possible. Our Center recognizes that achieving these aims requires innovative ideas for combating transport congestion and its attendant costs. These costs do not only entail monetary, out-of-pocket expenses, but also include lost times, lost opportunities and environmental externalities.

Activities

In view of these challenges, UCCONNECT fosters varied activities aimed at finding new ways to enhance mobility by battling congestion and the attendant costs. These activities are collaborative and multi-disciplinary and present three main thrusts: research, education, and workforce development. They bring to the table the scholarship to be found in varied, top-ranked academic departments together with the breadth of knowledge and experience to be found in transport agencies in Region 9, and in Caltrans in particular, in an effort to provide modern multi-modal solutions to enhance the economic competitiveness of the region.